


What is dead may never die

by ChibsAndChill



Series: Twilight [2]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24257797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibsAndChill/pseuds/ChibsAndChill
Summary: She couldn't remember how she got here, it was like a piece of her memory had been violently torn from her brain. Smoke was rising all around her, screams were piercing her sensitive ears. How did she get here? The smoke was inside her nose, pushing its way into her and filling her insides. Why is she here? Blood is raining from the sky, she can feel it on her skin and the ground turns to mud. The screams stop, the smoke retreats back into the air and the sky clears. Who is she?Caius x OC
Relationships: Caius/Original Female Character
Series: Twilight [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818574
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

She couldn't remember how she got here, it was like a piece of her memory had been violently torn from her brain. Smoke was rising all around her, screams were piercing her sensitive ears. How did she get here? The smoke was inside her nose, pushing its way into her and filling her insides. Why is she here? Blood is raining from the sky, she can feel it on her skin and the ground turns to mud. The screams stop, the smoke retreats back into the air and the sky clears. Who is she?

One deep exhale, she can finally open her eyes.

Another exhale, the colors finally start coming back to her.

Another exhale, her pulse quickens as she spins around.

A fourth exhale, she's surrounded by a thick forest that she can't remember walking into.

A fifth and final deep exhale, her breathing is back to normal and her eyes have adjusted to the sudden onslaught of light and vibrating green color. She spin and spin and spin again, none of the trees look familiar to her. She has no recollection of ever seeing this forest. Come to think of it, she can't remember any other forests either. She can't remember anything. All she gets is a dull ache in her skull, but no memories come to life.

"Any-Anyone there?" She shakily rasp out, her throat dry and burning for something she doesn't know. She's never felt pain like this... or at least she can't remember ever having felt pain like this.

She felt stupid calling out for someone, like some random person was just going to yell their answer back to her. No, she doubted a lot of people moved around in this particular area. It's filled with dark, looming trees that were so tall and thick that no sun could be seen, thick bushes with all kinds of berries. The light she saw when she first opened her eyes couldn't have been natural, it must have been her imagination. It's the only logical explanation.

She spins around again and this time her eyes zoomed in on a small trail in between two oversized bushes with blue juicy berries on them. 'I better not eat those, they could be poisonous', she thinks to herself. Though she had no appetite, not a single rumble in her stomach, nor hunger pains nor any feelings of emptiness. All she could feel was the itching burning of her throat, it was like she hadn't drank for 3 weeks and was now desperate to quench that thirst. Strangely enough that thirst seemed to be the only sign of hunger she had, it was almost as if the burning triggered her hunger, in a different way. She wasn't craving the berries or anything of solid form, no she wanted to drink something, what that something was she didn't know. She had never experienced this before and she was all alone now. No one could help her with her thirst or finding her way out of the large forest she had found herself in.

"Guess I'm just going to go for it" She told herself, and anyone out there, and made her way to the small trail that either would be her salvation or would lead her further into the strange forest. It was, however, worth the risk. She'd rather be moving and try and maybe find the way out than just sit around and waiting for someone to rescue her. It felt like her past self was someone who'd never wait around for someone to rescue her, she felt like she used to be the person that saved people, not the other way around.

The forest surrounding her was so thick she couldn't see past the first layer of bush and trees. It truly looked like something out of a nightmare with the dark shadows everywhere she looked that her paranoid mind imagined sprinting all around her. The bushes had sharp thorns on them that she hoped were not poisonous because she had in the last minutes of walking down the narrow path bumped into many of the tiny needle like thorns. Strangely enough none of them had penetrated her skin nor made any scratches. Only a few of the sun's rays managed penetrated the thick crown of the trees and light up small pieces of the path she was taking. She was lucky for the light no matter how small.

She didn't know how long she had been walking before she reached the end of the forest, the previously traitorous path full of what she would describe as death traps in the form of roots that crawled over the dark path like snakes and deep pits that came out of nowhere, had thinned out into more of a field with the occasional tree here and there. A small ways forward she could see the forest beginning again but this part seemed to be a normal sized one, with lots of different paths and none of that horror movie like theme in it.

She could see a house there too, her eyesight had improved as time had went on while walking in the forest. The house seemed to be mostly made out of glass with the necessary foundation made out of a wood like material. She had never seen a house like it before, not that she had seen any house before but there was a small part of her mind that itched with hidden knowledge. No, she hadn't ever seen a house like that, but then again she hadn't recognised the forest either so maybe she wasn't familiar with the area she was in right now. Maybe she had woken up in a place far far away from where she fell asleep, maybe someone had brought her here and then left her. Left her to either die or for someone else to find her.

The burning in her throat hadn't let out, the itching feeling in it growing worse than bearable. If she could she would have reached down into her throat and itched but she doubted it was that kind of itch, it was more like hunger. Yes, she was hungry, yes so very hungry for something she didn't know.

In a daze she entered the second part of the forest so she could get to the house that was waiting just a kilometer or so inside of the forest. Hopefully there would be someone there that could help her with whatever was happening to her. A small bubble of hope formed inside of her, the only thing breaking off the mind numbing fear and confusion she felt. Nothing made sense and her amnesia only made it worse.

A sudden swoosh sound behind her made her let out a loud gasp and she turned around but there was nothing there. Wherever she turned she was met only by air and the forest. She couldn't see anyone but her brain was telling her that someone was watching her, that she wasn't alone.

Another swosh came but this time she could see the blur of movement in front of her, she wasn't alone but whatever was there wasn't human. She wasn't sure that she was either. She turned around, trying to follow the blurred movement with her eyes but all she did was make herself dizzy with the repetitive movement.

There's two blurs now but this time she could see the outline of the person that was running, they were playing games with her, she realised as she saw one of them turn their face towards her with a grinning face. They think this is funny, she fumed and if it was physically possible she would without a doubt have flames in her eyes and smoke coming out of her ears.

She stepped forward to stop them but she met only empty air, what was supposed to be only a few steps forward had carried her all the way across the small clearing she was in. The woman looked down on her hands as if they held all the answers though she knew they did not.

She spun around with a growl building in her throat, she was way too tired to deal with someone acting like a child. Running around in circles around me, she spat, I'll show them fun. With narrowed eyes she located where the non-humans were and with a snarl she lunged at them, wanting to teach them a lesson. 


	2. Chapter 2

She lunged at them again, her mouth open in a silent snarl and eyes wide open. She looked like a feral beast with her spastic lunges, punches and kicks after the blur of movement in which she could now distinguish the figures running around. There was nothing efficient about the way she fought, her moves unpractised and without precision and it was all fueled by a rage that made her eyesight fussy and all her rationality hidden.

She hadn't hit them once, every move missed them by an inch or more, everytime she moved they had already moved away. They were several steps ahead of her, it was almost as if they instinctively knew how to deal with someone in that same state of mind that she was currently in.

The woman spun around and aimed a high kick on the blur closest to her and much to her surprise she hit something. With a grin she tried to bring back her leg, proud that she had finally managed to hit them, when she realised that she couldn't. She was stuck. She turned her head around and almost fell to her feet when she came face to face with the person she had tried to hurt. It was a woman, a woman so stunning it almost burned her eyes. Everything about her appealed to her, it was unsettling she realised. Something was off with the woman in front of her. The perfect way her dark hair fluttered in the slight breeze, her skin was without any blemishes except for the long thin scar she had that stretched from just above her left eyebrow down to her upper lip. Her light brown eyes had shades of amber in them, the woman observed as she stared at the woman in front of her. She had a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. The dark haired woman had strong thick legs, hips that were well rounded with a slightly smaller waist and strong muscular shoulders. A fighter's body, thick and strong.

"Who are you?" The amnesiac whispered with a stunned look on her face. The other blur suddenly stopped just behind the woman, it was a man. He was a fair bit taller than the woman, with shoulder length curly blonde hair, amber eyes. He too had a sharp jawline that she suspected would cut her if she came too close, he possessed the same kind of unsettling beauty and perfection. His shoulders were muscular and wide, his torso lean but she could see his muscles tensing and relaxing underneath his shirt. He too was a fighter, she concluded. He was glaring at her with a tense posture that screamed that he was ready to attack her anytime she made a move he didn't like. The woman in front of him didn't share the same almost military like posture as the man, instead she was relaxed and almost welcoming. Though she wasn't tense the amnesiac could see that she was cautious and guarded.

"I think the better question to ask is who are you" The woman retorted with a small, almost unnoticeable, lift of the left side of her plump lips.

"I don't know who I am" The amnesiac replied with a small sad shrug of her shoulders. "Even if I wanted to tell you I couldn't. Would you mind?" She continued and then gestured to the leg the other woman was still holding. She was getting tired at staying in that same position, not because of her muscles not being able to keep her standing but because it was a very vulnerable position and she didn't trust these people. Plus it wasn't the most comfortable position and it was boring.

"My name's Ana, this is Jasper but I think he'd prefer you to call him Major right now" The woman, Ana, threw a playful grin towards the man who gave her an irritated look in return. He didn't seem to appreciate the joke in the moment. The dark haired woman then released her leg. "How come you don't know who you are?"

"I don't know" The woman said with another shrug, she didn't have any answers to give the pair and she knew the lack of answers was starting to really get to the male who was drifting closer and closer to Ana. "I woke up in the forest without any memories."

Jasper and Ana shared a look between them, silently communicating with each other. After a few minutes of her just staring at the couple they finally turned back towards her in synchronisation. "Come with us" Ana told her, no demanded, and turned around and started walking into the thicker part of the forest. Jasper was still standing there, staring at her with that look that he's been giving her since she first came face to face with him. It's a look that tells her that he's in a protective mood and that he has his eyes on her. He nodded towards where Ana had left and reluctantly she started following where the other woman went.

...

"Who is this?" A blond man asked as the trio walked inside the large living room of the house she had previously seen from a distance. Truth to be told it was even more beautiful from the inside, the big windows made the room seem more open and bigger, plus it let in a ton of sunshine.

The room was occupied by 8 people, all divided into twos. A big muscular man sat next to a tall blonde that was glaring at her. The man that had spoken to them was leaning on a wall with a brunette woman sitting on a chair not far away from him, she was sending them warm welcoming smiles. A small pixie like woman sat in the lap of a white haired man who wasn't looking at them at all, his attention was focused entirely on the woman in his lap who in turn was staring blankly into the wall. Lastly a bronze haired man sat staring intently at her with a pale brunette cuddled up to his side on the small loveseat they were sitting in.

"We found her in the forest, she has no idea who she is" Ana informed the man, who she guessed was the kind of leader over the group of super pale people. The brunette woman on the chair sent her an sympathetic look while the others in the group stared indifferently at her except for the icy glare from the blonde girl and the questioning look from the bronze haired one with the hero hair.

"So she has no idea who she is?" The man asked to clarify what Ana had just told him. "There are cases of people losing all of their past memories in the transitions but it's rare, most remember at least some of it"

"She remembers nothing" Jasper spoke up for the first time since she met him, his voice had a southern accent to it. His voice was just like his expression when he looked at her, cold, emotionless and cautious. He was acting very military, she didn't know what military meant but she had a feeling it would apply to his behaviour.

"Then I suggest she sits down and we'll try to clear this all up" The blond man replied with a kind smile, gesturing for her to sit down on one of the empty couches in the middle of the room. The room itself was painted white with dark wooden flooring and lots of windows. The furniture was all light colors and minimalistic. There weren't a lot of decorations except a few flowers and plants on tables or in the corner of the room. On a higher plane a black piano stood, it seemed old and used. Two couches sat in the middle of the room, turned to sit opposite of the big television that was mounted to the wall. Two armchairs sat on each side of the large couches, both a light shade of grey. A large table sat a meter or so in front of the couches on a big fuzzy grey rug.

Jasper and Ana both sat down together in the armchair on the right, Ana sitting on the arm of it leaning down on Jasper who sat tense in the chair while staring at her. He was still feeling protective and defensive, she noted. She couldn't blame him really, she, a stranger just randomly appeared in the forest and not only that but she tried to attack them with barely any provocation.

She took a seat on the armchair to the left with hesitation painting her movements. She didn't really feel safe surrounded by all these people that were as unsettling as the pair she had first met.

"Now to start it off with a basic introduction" The leader began, standing behind one of the couches with his hands in his pockets. The kind smile from earlier was still present on his youthful face. "You've already met Jasper and Ana. The pair over there are Rosalie and Emmet, that's Alice and Carl, Edward and Bella. I'm Carlisle and that's Esme" He pointed to each pair as he said their names. Rosalie was the icy blonde, Emmet the muscular man besides her, he waved at her. Alice was the pixie, she was still staring into nothing, Carl was the white haired one who still wasn't looking at her. Rude. Edward was the hero hair who was still staring at her with a concentrated look on his face. Bella was the pale brunette (Although she wasn't as pale as the people surrounding her she was still very pale) that was staring at her intrigued.

"Hello" She greeted them all with a small wave and an awkward smile. It felt like she hadn't smiled ever and she was stiff all over.

"This is my family, we're the Cullens" Carlisle presented with a proud look on his face and a slight puff of his chest. "Do you know what we are? What you are?"

"No, I only know that neither of us are human. I don't know how I know that though" She responded without hesitation. Her instincts were telling her that they weren't human and that she wasn't either. She didn't even remember what a human is and she still knew she was different from them.

"Do you know what humans are?" Carlisle asked with a thoughtful look on his face, this all was interesting to him. " I noticed that there wasn't any hesitation in your voice but theoretically you don't have any memories of anything and that includes humans"

"I don't know how I know that. I just know some things, it's like there's a part of me that remembers but it's locked away from me." She tried to explain, fumbling around with her hands as her nervousness grew. She wasn't certain this was the best decision.

"Your speech is intact, and you can understand us all. This is interesting indeed. I see no point in sugar coating the truth since you don't have any association with the word anyways" Carlisle told her with a serious look on his face. "My family are vampires and so are you"


	3. Chapter 3

"Vampires?" She asked, confused at the term that she had never heard before. A dull ache began to form in the back of her head, the word was familiar but she couldn't remember ever hearing it before. Strange. "What's a vampire?"

"A vampire is someone that drinks blood, human or animal. If you drink animal blood like us you have these gold eyes but if you drink human blood you have red eyes. When you're thirsty your eyes turns black, like yours" Carlisle starts to explain while the other stayed silent and continued to stare at her with serious looks on their faces. Her eyes were black? "The itching feeling in your throat is your thirst for blood, with time you'll be able to handle that. We also can't be in sunlight because of the sparkling effect it gives, we're much faster and stronger than humans. A vampire is immortal and can only be killed by being torn to pieces and then burned. Some of us have gifts but it's very rare, Edward can read minds, Jasper can feel emotions and Alice can see the future. Vampires also have excellent eyesight and hearing"

"That's... a lot to take in" She whispered with a stunned look on her face. So the painful burning in her throat was her thirst for blood? Something inside of her tells her that's it's something wrong and that she shouldn't even be contemplating it and Edward has been reading her mind ever since she entered the house. Probably even before that. Can he hear my thoughts right now?, she asked herself while looking at said mindreader. He gave her a small nod and she shrunk even further into the soft cushion.

"It's understandable, however it's easier if we just get it all over with." Carlisle replied with a sympathetic smile that didn't reach his smile. He seemed to be getting antsy over something, his eyes kept flickering between her and Bella like she was going to jump over there and jump her. She couldn't understand why, she was a vampire too, wasn't she?

"Bella is human" Edward answered her thoughts, startling her out of her rabbit hole that she called mind. "We're all surprised you haven't tried to attack her yet, newborns typically do"

"I can't smell her" The woman defended herself, feeling the surprised look on everyone's faces. " She doesn't make me hungry"

"What do you mean you can't smell her? Can you smell us?" This time Jasper was the one who spoke up from his place with Ana. The whole family was staring at her now, waiting for her answer that would probably change everything.

She sniffed the air and then frowned. Nothing. "I can't smell anyone, I can't smell anything. What's wrong with me?!" She asked with tears of frustration building in her eyes, she finally meets people like her and even there she is different. She was feeling mentally exhausted from the long day but her body wasn't tired, not even slightly.

"I've never heard of this before" Carlisle muttered, scratching his chin in thought. " A vampire is supposed to be the perfect predator and a sense of smell is essential. This is interesting"

"We should name her" Rosalie piped up for the first time in awhile, her icy cold glare had softened to a gentle smile. Maybe it was because Rosalie had finally realised that she wasn't going to hurt her family and that she was just confused and alone. "It's not fair that she doesn't have a name"

"What do you suggest, babe?" Emmet asked Rosalie with a small shoulder against shoulder shove. He seemed surprised at her change in attitude and the brunette, Bella, stared at her with slight jealousy in her eyes. Maybe Rosalie hadn't warmed up to Bella yet.

"Leona, I like Leona" Rosalie replied after a few minutes of tense silence while she was listening. "What do you think? We'll come up with something different if you don't like it"

Leona was a nice name, she thought to herself, I like it. She thought for a few more minutes, contemplating if she wanted to take that name even if she might get her memory back later and therefore her name. "I like it" She answered, having come to a conclusion, she was going to take the risk and hopefully it'll pay off.

"Good, now would you mind if we tried something? Maybe you just need to get closer to someone to smell them" Carlisle requested with a soft smile. He was a smiler, Leona told herself. She didn't mind being the labrat for a few more minutes, she was just happy to be around people.

She stood up and walked up to where he was standing, being more aware of her lack of smell now that they had pointed out that it was odd. She genuinely thought that that was how it was supposed to be. Her other senses were fine, she could hear, taste (She had found out after falling in the forest and she got leaves in her mouth), see and feel. Leona leaned in closer and closer until she was almost touching the fabric of his sweater. She still couldn't smell him, not even a bit. Was this a serious problem?

"I still can't smell anything" She told the man who nodded with a slightly disappointed and intrigued look in his eyes. He seemed to have been expecting her to be able to smell him when she came closer but she had failed that test.

"I think we need to try it with Bella this time, to see if you can still smell humans and nothing else." He told her, sending a pleading look to Edward who reluctantly nodded and stood up. Why he did that Leona didn't know, it didn't make sense that he would stand up if he was going to be protecting Bella if Leona finally could smell her.

"Okay" Leona nodded to both Carlisle and Edward, the latter standing just besides Bella, his posture tense and defensive. She glanced over at the rest of the family members, Alice was still lost in her thoughts and the rest were all staring at her expectantly. She didn't know if they'd rather she could smell the human or that she couldn't.

Leona leaned in, this time towards the neck, of the human and so far she couldn't smell anything. She could hear the fast heartbeat of the woman underneath her though but the sound didn't affect her more than basic curiosity. She leaned down further, this time her nose touched the warm skin of the human who flinched and tensed. One deep inhale and she smelled nothing, nothing at all.

She pulled herself up again and turned to face Carlisle who was eagerly awaiting the results. "I couldn't smell anything" She reported to the older vampire with a shy smile. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Both, it's an advantage because you won't be tempted all the time like us. But it's a bad thing because you won't be able to identify people or differentiate between species." Carlisle told her with a sad smile, it sounded mostly positive though. She didn't want to be tempted to hurt people all the time but at the same time she wanted to be able to smell things. Leona didn't know what it was like but she wanted it. The fact that she couldn't get it made it all the more desirable.

A loud gasp was suddenly heard and Leona spun around to face the small pixie who had snapped out of whatever thought she was engrossed in. Leona smiled at her but the smile dropped when she saw the absolute look of terror in her eyes.

"She's Caius' mate"


	4. Chapter 4

The words were met with loud gasps from the Cullens but Leona was still staring stunned at the small vampire who had shown such sorrow in her eyes that whatever she had seen must have been bad enough to make her feel such pity for a stranger. Leona turned around, seeking her answer with the leader of the group, she had no idea what a 'mate' was or who 'Caius' was or even why the combination seemed to make it even worse than the words on their own.

"Carlisle" She called out, her voice wavering with nervousness. She wasn't really sure that she wanted the answer to the question but she knew that she needed to know. "What is a mate?"

"A mate is uhm, a mate is short for soulmate. Vampires all have mates, they're your other half. The mate bond is a strong thing, with aspects like tingling when you touch them." He stroked a hand down Esme's arm with a fond look on his face. "And pain when you're too far away from each other from a long period of time. There have been cases of mates having felt some of each other's feelings. I suspect you'll learn all about in on your own later"

"So this... Caius is my soulmate?" Leona asked, trying to process the information that had been thrown at her. She hadn't even been conscious for a day before she found out she's both a vampire and she's got a soulmate that Alice had seen her with. It was all very confusing and overwhelming but every time her feelings starts to bubble over she calms down and her feelings bubble down to a 'normal' level. Carlisle nods his head with a sympathetic look on his face. "And who is Caius?"

"I think you and I should take this conversation in my office. I think it would be easier to have it a little bit more 'private'" He chuckled slightly at the last part, there would never be any kind of privacy close to vampires but it was symbolic. A delicate conversation like this should be handled correctly, and the woman seemed very overwhelmed by all the news, he thought.

Leona nodded and walked after the older vampire out of the room and down a hallway. The walls here were a light blue and along both sides of the small pathway had paintings of different motives. Some were light and had flowers on them and some were dark and had scenes of war and death. Interesting, she thought to herself.

"Here, sit down" Carlisle told the young vampire after he closed the door behind them, normally the closed door would make sure that the conversation would be private but once again there is no possibility of any kind of privacy with all the vampires home, but Leona appreciated the gesture.

"I want to know who Caius" Leona demanded, she was honestly done with this whole dancing around the subject thing that the Cullens were fond of. She wanted answers and she wanted them 100% truth and nothing sugarcoated. Most of all she wanted them now.

"He's one of the three leaders of the vampire society, a king. He rules alongside his two brothers, Aro and Marcus, they make up the Volturi along with a guard of elite vampires. They live in Volterra, Italy, but they will travel if their attention is needed. There is not many laws in the vampire world, but the three most important ones are also the ones that will get you killed if you break. You can't under any circumstances expose yourself to a human, with some exceptions like mates and even then you can only do it if you plan to turn the human." The vampire took a deep breath, and sat down on the corner of his desk. He played with a miniature cross in his hand, tracing the shape and tossing it from hand to hand. " The other law is that you can't create what we call immortal children, I think that one explains itself. The last but not least is that you can't create a newborn army, an army of vampires all under one year grabs too much attention and risks exposure at every turn. In all three cases the guilty will be executed by either the kings themselves or one of the guards."

"So I've got to follow three laws, Caius is one of three kings over the vampires." She summarized with a blank look on her face. "That's a lot of info to take in."

"I understand that, I would offer you to spend the night here but I suspect that you're not comfortable enough for that. Even if I'm not very fond of the kings my recommendation for you would still be to go to Italy. You don't seem like a person that likes to drag things out just for the fun of it and neither is he, it's a good match. You should take the reaction we had to the news with a bit of salt." He told the vampire in front of him with a smile but it didn't reach his nervous eyes.

"You're hiding something from me" Leona told him in a cold tone, she hated being lied to. She suspected that what he told her wasn't what he really wanted. It was such a change of character for him, it felt forced and unnatural. No, he didn't want her to go to Italy immediately, or go to Caius now. "There isn't some kind of law that forces you to deliver me to him, are there?"

"I'm sorry Leona." Carlisle told her. " I didn't want to tell you about that part because I don't think you'd want to go to him if you knew the whole story that we know about him. My family is in danger with you here, if he finds out I kept you away from him he will kill my whole family and myself. I'm sorry Leona but you have to go to him."

"So you're standing there telling me that you're sorry but you're still forcing me to go the big bad of the vampire world based on one vision?!" She snarled and stood up. A growl was building in her throat, without Jasper there to calm her down her emotions were bubbling over and all those feelings all turned into anger.

"It's not like that, Leona. I would never do it if I thought you were in any danger, I promise. A mate is incapable of hurting their mate, mates are their perfect matches. I'm giving you your best chance and that isn't with us. And I am sorry for forcing you off like this but you'll thank me later when the bond is made, you'll see what I mean then." Carlisle ranted, his words were contradicting and confusing to Leona. He didn't want her to go but the only way she would be truly happy was if she went.

"Fine, I'll go see this Caius and if that doesn't work out you owe me. Now, how will I get to Volterra?" She asked the man in front of her with a tired sigh, she was acting irrational. She was going to go see a random vampire that this random family told her about? It made no sense but she could feel a pull in her heart dragging her towards something, something far off and it only got worse when someone mentioned his name. There must be some truth to it, she concluded. "I mean what's the worst that could happen, I might as well try"

"I'll book the tickets then." Carlisle responded with the same smile he wore before they had their 'private' conversation. "I'm so glad you're seeing it my way."


	5. Chapter 5

When Carlisle said that she needed to go to Italy Leona thought that she of course would go alone, mainly because he expressed his concerns about the coven in many colorful words and because she was going there for her mate. She didn't think that they would want to be third-wheeling her the entire time, they thought differently. Both Jasper and Alice were going to go with her to in their words 'support her and make sure the Volturi treats her right'. Truth to be told she would rather go alone but she didn't want to hurt their feelings.

"Do you remember what to do if you're feeling the urge on the plane?" Alice asked with a worried tone in her voice. She had been fretting over the other vampire ever since they left the house even though Leona told her time and time again that she was fine and no she still couldn't smell anything.

"I come find one of you" Leona rehearsed with a tired sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "We've been over this a thousand times , Alice. I still can't smell anything and I don't think me being on a small plane is going to change that"

"We don't know how that works yet so we have to be really careful." She whispered to the taller woman with a knowing glint in her eyes. "We don't want an incident"

"You and I both know that I won't have an incident because I can't smell anything and because of that humans don't tempt me" Leona sighed and flicked Alice on the forehead with a tired grin. "You're smothering me, I'm not a baby."

"You woke up yesterday so technically you are, ma'am" Jasper spoke from behind the two women who both twirled around to playfully glare at him, unhappy that he interrupted their conversation.

"Time doesn't reset because I fell asleep and then woke up with no memory. Besides, you don't need to worry about me, I'm on my way to meet my mate so in a day or so I'll be the safest cookie around" Leona joked and pushed a piece of her white hair out of her eye.

She had seen herself for the first time the day before, having taken a shower to get all of the dirt off her and the smell. When she got out of the shower she caught a glimpse of someone in the mirror and was surprised to find that it was her. She had marveled over the pure white color of her hair that went to just above her breasts. Her eyes were upturned and the shade a vivid red. One of her cheekbones were higher up than the other but her jawline was nice and even. Her face was slightly asymmetrical. Her eyes flickered to her lips, the bottom one was much thicker than the upper one, she liked it. She liked that she wasn't perfect, she prefers it that way.

"The volturi-" Alice started but Leona interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. She was seriously getting tired of all this 'Volturi this, Volturi that' talk that the Cullens insisted on having all the time. Were they trying to give her her best chance or filling her mind with propaganda so that she'll reject her mate? She wasn't sure yet.

"The volturi are the bad guys and there's no guarantee that I'll be safe, you've said that a ton of times already." She stopped walking, her coat swishing when she turned to face the pixie at her side. "I don't understand you. You say that I should go to Caius because he'll make me happy and that we're meant to be but you're trying to manipulate me into thinking that his coven are rotten to the core. What do you want?"

"We just want you to know what you're walking into" Alice defended herself and her coven, her eyes narrowing and her body language becoming more reserved. Seems like someone didn't like being questioned, Leona noted in her head, guess that comes with having visions that everyone believes without hesitation.

"I- I just want to get to Italy and then we'll see what your true goal is." She gave both of them a clap on the cheek with one of her gloved hands and then she walked off with a dramatic swish of her coat and her small bag swinging in her other hand. "We're going to miss our plane if you two don't hurry up!"

...

"Are you just gonna steal a car, Alice? Really?" Leona asked sceptically as she watched the small vampire and Jasper break up a red sports car they found on the airport parking lot. They hadn't even been in Italy for 5 minutes before they started doing illegal things. She was doing her best disapproving face but they either didn't see her or they were already immune to it. "I swear to god if you two idiots alert the police I'll personally send you in little pieces to all hells there are"

Alice whispered something to Jasper that Leona couldn't hear. Her hearing still hadn't reached the level that a normal vampire should have, her sight was excellent but her hearing was bad and her smell was gone. She really was a dysfunctional vampire, it was almost funny if it wasn't dangerous for her. She couldn't separate different species from each other and it was incredibly more difficult to hunt using only sight. Vampires could use contacts to blend in better and if they weren't in direct sunlight then Leona would never know who was a vampire and who was a vampire. She also couldn't smell or see the difference between shape shifters (and children of the moon) and humans without them shifting.

Leona had been feeling like her heart was going to beat out of her chest ever since they got off the plane and the slight tug she felt back in Washington was nothing compared to the tug she felt now. It was demanding that she followed it, it brought her pain to ignore it but neither Alice or Jasper seemed to be in any rush. She had told them about it and they shrugged it off as the mate bond but Leaona knew they wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it if it was any of them that was feeling it. This isn't about me, Leona realised, it never was.

"Can we go now? I want to get there before dusk" Leona whined, the vampires had been taken a lot longer with breaking into that car than she would have expected two vampires would take. She could see them whispering to each other and she swore that she saw Alice speaking to her phone a couple of times too.

"Almost done!" Alice yelled back with a beaming smile on her face. They were both in the car now but from what Leona could see from where she was standing they hadn't managed to bring it to life yet. Strange, she thought, since Jasper is really interested in cars, and so is Rosalie.

She only had to wait five more minutes until the two vampires started the car and drove over to where Leona was standing. "Get in loser, we're going to Volterra" Alice joked, the reference flying right over Leona's head, she was born yesterday after all. 


	6. Chapter 6

The ride to Volterra was tense and silent, the uncomfortable silence suffocated them and it only grew as the trio got closer to their goal. They hadn't said anything to each other after Alice drove them out of the airport, it was like they had no words for each other. As the minutes went by Leona's concerns that there was an ulterior motive behind the Cullen's trailing along with her grew. Why would they go through all this trouble for a stranger? Especially when that involved a group of vampire that were infinitely more powerful than them and royalty. Not only that but they sent two of their gifted members, one being so rare that Carlisle had even informed Leona of Aro's desire to recruit Alice. There was something fishy going on.

"How much longer are we going to be in this stupid car?" Leona asked with an impatient sigh, she was done with this car ride before they even got into the car. In the distance she could see the outline of what could only be Volterra but she had no idea how much longer she'd be forced to endure this torture. "Can we at least put on some music?"

"No" Jasper snarked with a slight glare on his face. His mannerism had changed now, the warm but yet guarded body language had melted into one of pure defensiveness. Whatever had happened on that phone call hadn't made him happy, or maybe it was the separation from Ana that made him cranky. "Ma'am" He added as an afterthought and sent her a forced half smile as if it would erase his bad attitude.

"We're almost at the meeting place and your hearing needs to be the best it can be. It's important." Alice explained with her eyes fastened on the road that she was speeding on. It was a wonder no police had began chasing them yet but Leona wasn't complaining, she liked the speed.

"I thought we were going to Volterra? You should just tell me whatever plans you and your family cooked up when I wasn't listening, because I believe that secrets are a poison" Leona sneer at them, she was so fed up with their secrets and their goddamned whispering. Yes she woke up yesterday but she knew when someone was lying to her, and these two cookies were making all her lie detector alarms tingle.

"Calm down, Leona, we're just here to make sure that nothing bad happens." Alice tried to soothe the vampire that was getting more and more upset. "Caius and his brothers are waiting just below that hill over there, they are the ones we talked with on the phone earlier."

Leona looked out the window and lo and behold there was a small hill just about 200 meters away. She could see three figures standing there waiting, one having a head full of snow-white hair, one jet black and the third black as well though it was not as dark as the other one. The pull inside of her was going crazy by now, dragging her towards the figures. Even though Carlisle never showed a picture or told her what Caius looked like she had a feeling it was the blond one. 

"Caius is the blond one, right?" Leona asked the vampires with her when they stopped the car but then cringed when she realised that the kings could probably hear what she just said. If she was human she would have been bright red in her face, but she's not so her pale, almost translucent skin remained just that. Her hands were shaking, her body tingling and a large smile that spread from ear to ear grew on her face when she realised that this was finally it.

She didn't understand why she was so happy to meet a man she's never even met but she was, incredibly so. It was almost overwhelming how much happiness, nervosity and relief she was feeling all at once. She wondered if he was feeling the same. She lifted her eyes to meet his across the small plain they were parked on, only to see that his red ones were already staring at her with a glint in them. He looked composed enough with his arms crossed over his chest and tense posture but she was sure he wasn't feeling quite as composed on the inside. Leona was running on pure instinct when it came to her feelings, she didn't have the same knowledge of the bond or anything like Caius so she wasn't surprised that he was more composed than she was.

"Let's go" Jasper told her after finishing a text on his phone, probably a reassurance text to his mate that he had left in USA. His grin told it all.

The two older vampires in the car opened their cars and flashed out of them but Leona was frozen to her seat. She still couldn't believe this was happening even if her mate was staring right at her from only a small distance away. She wanted to move, she wanted to run to him and jump straight into what she imagined was open arms but she couldn't. She couldn't move a muscle and as time fluttered by his posture got more and more impatient. She saw Alice and Jasper talking to the three leaders, they were arguing about something. The two other brothers were looking less than pleased by whatever the Cullens were telling them but she couldn't hear a word they were saying, she could only see their mouths opening and closing.

Finally she took a deep breath and opened her car door and hesitantly pulled herself out. The arguing stopped, she realised when she finally pulled her eyes up from the grass and up to the group of vampires. They were all staring at her now, the Cullens with wide eyes as if they hadn't expected her to actually do it, and the brothers were all wearing matching smug looks.

She flashed over to where they were standing with one fluid motion, there were thousands of fireworks in her stomach and her hands still hadn't stopped shaking. Leona stared at the brothers from behind Jasper, she wasn't ready to take any initiative in this. If Caius was her mate then he would show it and all her doubts about it would fly away. She still wasn't 100% that the Cullens hadn't lied to her and as the seconds ticked by that fear only grew stronger.

"Leona" The brother in the middle greeted her, he was slightly shorter than his other brothers but shared the same clouded, milky red eyes. His impressing age only showed in his eyes, she could almost feel the wisdom and knowledge he possessed. This must be Aro.

"Uhm, hello, Aro" Leona stuttered out, she would be lying if she said that she wasn't even a tiny bit intimidated by her mate and his brothers. She was feeling very shy, mostly because of the burning stare by her mate, it was like he hadn't looked at anything other than her since they stopped the car. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't like it, no, she more than liked having his eyes on her.

"Come closer" He requested with a kind smile and an outstretched hand. Closer?, she echoed in her head, could she restrain herself from doing what instinct demanded of her if she came closer. At the same time she didn't want to make a bad impression on the brothers, they were going to spend the rest of eternity together after all.

She complied with the request and shakily moved out from behind the old soldier and into the direct stare of her mate and his brothers. She couldn't hide anymore and it frightened her, she had no security or a way to shield herself. She lifted her right hand, though she had no memories of doing anything like this the motion of it felt familiar.

"Did Carlisle tell you about my power?" Aro asked just before she was going to place her hand on his, making her abruptly stop the movement and freeze. What power? He hadn't told her anything about the men except for their names and positions in the coven.

"What power?" Leona asked with a slight tilt of her head and a questioning look in her eyes. Why wouldn't Carlisle tell her about this, Aro sounded so sure that the other vampire had told her. Even more lies, Leona snarled in her head, she had only awoken yesterday but she was already sick and tired of the lying nature the Cullens seemed to have.

"I can read all your thoughts and memories with a single touch, though I suppose it will be a short visit given that you suffer of amnesia." Aro joked at the end, hoping to lighten the tense mood. He seemed to want the Cullens to leave as much as Leona but the Cullens didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. "Do I have your permission?"

Leona looked to Caius for support and guidance, she hoped that he wouldn't lie to her and misguide her. He nodded his head and motioned for her to do it. She nodded back with a smile, hoping to get one back from him but he didn't. Didn't he feel the same way for me as I do for him?, Leona thought to herself, or is he still on guard because of the Cullens.

She placed her hand gently into Aro's outstretched on and he sighed happily and placed his other hand on top of hers, engulfing them. He pulled her slightly closer as he closed his eyes concentrated, she could hear the slight rumbling sound of Caius growl when Aro pulled her a little bit too close. Leona smiled happily, so it wasn't because of her that he wasn't expressing the same feelings as she did.

Aro hummed and opened his eyes again, he had a thoughtful frown on his face, his eyes full of fascination. "That's interesting, I saw nothing from before yesterday. That's when you woke up, correct?"

She nodded slightly, so there really was nothing before yesterday. Just a black hole of lost memories and knowledge. If Aro couldn't see it then there must be no way that they would ever come back to her, they must be lost forever. Venom pooled in her eyes like tears that would never fall, vampires were incapable of crying. A fact that she hated because she needed to cry to let out all of her emotions that were bubbled up inside of her but her stupid body wouldn't let her.

"I must confess that I find myself intrigued by your complete lack of smell and less than functional hearing, in vampire standards." Aro continued his observations from her memories with an almost angry glint in his eyes.

The vampire still holding her hands released one of them and brought out a pen and paper from a pocket in his suit. He scribbled something on the note, folded it and then threw it over to Caius who plucked it from the air in one smooth, graceful movement. Leona let out a gasp at the sight and her mate smirked slightly with a puffed up chest but his smug posture quickly dropped when he read the note. He snarled loudly and she could see the anger pouring off of him in thick waves. Whatever Aro had written to Caius had upset him greatly and that only made Leona even more curios of the note. What was so important to say that he couldn't risk the Cullens or her hearing it.

Caius crumbled up the note and stuffed it into the pocket of his own suit, he continued glaring at the vampires that somehow managed to offend him. The blond king marched towards her with fires in his eyes and a body trembling with rage. 


	7. Chapter 7

The blond king marched towards her with fires in his eyes and a body trembling with rage. Leona stared with an open mouth as he growled loudly, his steps thundering in her ears and adrenaline flooded her body. The sight didn't make her scared. Maybe that's part of the mate bond, she mused in her head.

She finally got to see her mate up close when he reached her, his hair was even whiter than hers, it was about shoulder-length on him and matched his pale skin. His red eyes were fuming and she could almost see flames burning in them. The male vampire reached for her chin with a hold that contrasted greatly to what his other body language and face told. It was like a feather light touch as he softly guided her eyes to meet his, she could feel the tingles flowing in her entire body that Carlisle told her about. The him being her mate part must have been truth then, one truth in a sea of lies.

"Aro told me you have not fed since you awoke" His smooth voice muttered as he observed every detail of her face, spending the most time on her eyes before moving on.

"No" Leona whispered, her voice caught in her voice as she stared right at her mate without blinking. She had never seen something so perfect in her whole 2 days of eternal life. Every part of him appealed to her, Jasper had told her on the flight there that the smell of your mate was incredible, like a drug you can never get enough of.

She inhaled deeply, hoping to smell what would only be described as heaven but came up with nothing. She couldn't smell a thing, part of her hoped that he would make her sense of smell come back or that he would be the only thing she could smell but fate decided to not do that. She couldn't smell him.

"Why have you not fed her?!" He barked at the two Cullens who were both wearing different expressions of worry and fright. They didn't seem to have prepared themselves for the fury her mate would give them. Maybe they had just forgotten to feed her or maybe it was on purpose.

"She didn't feel hungry" Alice spoke up with a small nervous chuckle at the end, her hands wringing in front of her. "She didn't smell the blood so we thought maybe she didn't need to feed"

"You thought that just because she can't smell it you can deny her of the very thing her existence demands?" Aro butt in with a dissatisfied frown on his face, it was as if he had been expecting better from the coven but had been left utterly disappointed. "You starved her"

Leona thought for a moment, she woke up with a burning thirst in her throat and an empty feeling in her stomach but that went away a few hours after she was discovered by the Cullens. Ever since that she only had a slight itch in the back of her throat, like an itch she couldn't scratch, but that was it. So what was hunger? Was it the feeling she first felt or had she not felt hunger yet? She thought that she would be ravenous if they had starved her but she felt fine, maybe she didn't feel hunger the same way they did. It still didn't excuse that they had neglected to teach her how to feed, she trusted them and now she finds out they didn't tell her the things they didn't want to.

"It's okay, I don't feel hungry anyways " She told her mate with a small smile at the end. Leona didn't know why she was protecting them after all their lies but she felt like she owed them for taking care of her and bringing her here. Besides, she didn't want her first meeting with Caius to be plagued by fights and anger. That wasn't how she first imagined it and she would be damned if she let it become even more so.

"It's not okay!" He snarled with an angry grimace on his face though his rage wasn't directed at her. "It was their responsibility to feed you and instead of doing that small thing they decided to starve you"

"Their responsibility?" She asked confused, why did they have a responsibility to make sure that a random vampire they met fed. Leona was under the impression that vampires were very territorial and nomadic, so why would the Cullens be required to feed her? It didn't make sense and all it did was make her head spin even more. "I don't understand"

"You are his mate, young one, and they knew that. They had a responsibility and duty towards you because of your status in the vampire community. You are their queen." Marcus informed her, his voice surprised him. The tone was flat and indifferent, there was no emotion in it at all. Leona looked at him with a surprised look, his face matched his voice perfectly. His face was void of any emotion and his eyes looked dead.

"Wait what?" She asked in a high pitched voice. "This is all so confusing"

"I'll explain everything to you when we get to Volterra, asteri mu" He told her with a quick affectionate grin as he spoke the last two words. She had no idea what they meant but by the look on his and his brothers faces it must have been something nice. She hesitantly smiled back. 

Caius stroked a tender hand down her face and then took a step away, making Leona feel empty and cold. She wanted him to come back and that now. She already felt extremely attached to the older vampire and even though they had only known each other for not even a day she couldn't imagine an existence without him.

"Will the Cullens come with us?" She was both hoping that he would say no because she didn't like them very much at the moment and she would rather spend the time alone with Caius than spending it being constantly pissed off because of that coven. On the other hand she wanted him to say yes because she still felt unsure of all of this and she wanted to have that small sense of security that the Cullens brought with them.

"If they want to they are allowed to spend the night with us and then be on their way" Caius replied diplomatically through his teeth.

"We would like to stay the night to make sure that Leona is settling in well" Jasper responded before Alice could deny the offer, he had taken to the amnesiac and wouldn't leave her in Italy alone without making sure that she wasn't comfortable. He could relate to her and he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't have to go through the same things he had to before Ana rescued him.

"Very well, shall we?" Aro muttered, he seemed displeased by them deciding to stay as well. Maybe the coven had fallen from grace in his eyes. Leona still wanted to know what exactly Marcus was talking about earlier and she was going to get her answers even if she had to force them out of Caius.

Caius placed his hand on the small of her back as they began running to their home, making sure that his mate wouldn't fall behind and to reassure himself that she was finally there. 


	8. Chapter 8

Leona had been so stunned by the sheer size of the castle that she came to a complete stop. The abrupt stop made Caius almost push her over before he realised she had stopped but she stood her ground. It was absolutely huge, towering over everything else. From a distance she imagined it just looked like a beige or sand colored blob but up close she could see all the twists of the towers and the intricate design of the exterior on it.

"What is it?" Caius asked her when she kept staring at the building with an open mouth. Part of him felt proud that his mate was stunned by her new home but part of him was worried that she didn't like it and that was why she was staring.

"It's... it's beautiful" She complimented with her eyes sparkling in awe, if she thought the Cullen house was beautiful then this was way beyond that. She was going to like it very much there with the many large windows, the old architectural style and the view. She imagined the view would be the best thing about it all.

"Wait until you see the inside" Caius teased with a small tug on his lips. "We finished your chambers yesterday, I wasn't sure what colors you want so we had them painted white. Of course you can repaint and decorate the room however you wish."

"That's very kind of you, Caius." Leona replied with a toothy grin. This day just seemed to be getting better and better for her, first she met her mate, then she found out she's going to be living in this breathtaking castle and she can decorate her room however she wants. She didn't know what she was so worried for.

He ushered her inside the giant castle and directed her through tons of hallways of different sizes, colors, designs and decorations. She had lost track of the way they came from about 23 twists and turns ago, not that she was desperate to leave just yet. The inside was bigger than she had expected, and much more open than she had expected. The hallways themselves didn't have a lot of windows but those that had were grand and beautiful, some colorful and some regular.

The Cullens along with Aro and Marcus had stopped following them almost as soon as they got inside the big doors, they went to the right and Caius took her to the left. As soon as the other vampires left she felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders and like she could finally breathe.

As soon as the Cullens left them Caius slung an arm around her waist and pressed her close to his chest, which made her heart flutter and her whole body tingle like never before. She was addicted to the sensation, it was like a drug she could never get enough of and never wanted to leave. Maybe he's just a private man, Leona speculated in her head when he still hadn't let go of her, maybe he doesn't show affection in front of other people.

"Where are we going?" Leona glanced up at the man holding her as she asked her question. They had been walking for awhile now and she was starting to wonder why they hadn't just vampire sped to wherever they were heading.

The hallway they were currently in was the same wooden color as this whole wing of the castle seemed to be, with different paintings hanging on the walls and many large windows. There was a dark red carpet on the floor that covered almost all of the stone floor. There were only one or two lights there but lots of candles that would later illuminate the already dark hallway. She liked it, it was homey. She supposed she had a thing for old fashioned things.

"To your room, of course" Caius replied as if it was obvious, his voice sounding like music to her ears. She had in a few hours managed to turn into a lovesick vampire, a change she wasn't sure if she liked yet.

"Of course" She murmured with her eyes falling to the floor, all her uncertainties coming back stronger than ever. Would the mate bond continue to change her or would she still be her? She didn't know yet, especially since she didn't even know who she was yet. There wasn't a drastic change that she could feel yet, other than the feelings that came with the mate bond. She didn't think that she had changed a lot, only becoming more happy and extroverted.

...

They reached her room about 10 minutes later and with that time her insecurities had grown, she longed for her questions to be answered so she would stop feeling so confused all the time. After that she hoped to be alone for awhile so that she could think it all through with a head that wasn't affected by Caius. She had so far figured out that his presence was messing so much with her because they had just met and the feelings were higher because they wanted to make sure the mates stayed together.

Her room was big, bigger than any room she had ever seen before, and was painted a bright white color that really made the room light up. She had a medium sized round carpet in the middle of the room that was a dark blue that matched the bed covers that were light blue. Two doors led to her bathroom and the other to her closet. She had king-sized bed with two fluffy pastel blue pillows, the bed itself was made out of a dark wood, matching the floor of the same shade. The room also had bookshelves covering one of her walls stacked to the brim with books of different genres and sizes. In front of the bookshelves two dark blue armchairs placed on a cream colored carpet.

She didn't have time to observe more of the beautiful room before Caius' accented voice spoke up. "Do you like it?" He sounded uncertain and hesitant, as if he hoped that she like it but wasn't at all sure of it.

"I don't like it" She replied with a cold face before breaking out into a large smile and loud laughter. "Don't look at me like that. I love it, it's perfect" Leona reassured her mate who was looking at her with a masked face but before she told him her real feelings she could see the disappointment and failure in his eyes.

He puffed out his chest with a smug look on his face. "I knew you'd like it. I designed it for you, I made sure they made everything the way I imagined it. You can change whatever you want, just let me know"

"Thanks" She told him with a smile, she was very grateful that he did this for her even if he wasn't sure that she would like it. She liked that he thought of her and what she would want and now what he wanted. "Can you explain all of this for me? It's making my head spin and I.. I just need to understand what exactly is going on and what's going to happen."

Caius nodded with a nervous look on his face as he plopped down on her bed. Leona didn't understand why he would be nervous, she just wanted to know more about the things happening in her life and what she needed to be prepared for, Marcus even called a queen. She didn't know how to be a queen and she would be lying if that title didn't make her want to run far far away.

"Ask away" He gestured with his hands when she sat down opposite of him with her legs crossed. This bed was very comfy, she noted with a pleased smile. Not too soft and not too hard, not that she would ever sleep on it. She didn't even miss sleep, which to be honest could be because she doesn't remember what sleep felt like.

"I want to know everything" She stated with a curious look on her face as she leant forward. "Everything about you, everything about this coven, this world, everything about vampires. I want to know everything."

He hummed slightly with a pleased look on his face and unbuttoned his suit, showing off the red shirt he had on underneath. Internally she was fangirling with every bit of clothing that he removed, he was just too stunning. "Where to start? What have the Cullens told you about being a vampire?" Caius spat the name and his face scrunched up in distaste as if he had eaten something foul.

"That we have to feed on blood to survive, the eye colors and their meanings, some of the mate business, powers, and some of the basic enhanced abilities we have" Leona had to actually think back, it seemed like a lifetime ago but really it was only yesterday. Everything was happening so quickly that she had no choice but to just roll with it and bury her feelings until later.

"But you don't have all the basic abilities, do you?" Caius asked interested, he needed to go to the bottom with this so that he would know how to protect her and train her. He needed her to be strong and a good fighter despite her disabilities. Of course he didn't see it as a disability but like something that made her her, it also provided more of an opportunity for him to protect her. Which he personally enjoyed, but he would make sure that she learned how to do without those senses.

"I can't smell anything, not even you" Leona admitted and wrung her with a deep scowl on her face. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head slightly with a bitter chuckle. "Everyone keeps telling me that the smell of your mate is the best thing ever, that the blood is always tempting them but I can't smell any of that. It's just so frustrating!" She cursed and threw one of her pillows across the room and just as she went to get the other one she was stopped by a soft hand and a small snicker.

"Don't be sad, Leona, you can still feel me." He placed her hand on the piece of skin on his chest that his slightly unbuttoned shirt showed. Leona focused on the tingles that flowed up her arm at the contact and she chuckled. She could feel him, and his strong body that she very much appreciated. " You can still hear me" Caius whispered in her ear, tickling it with his breath. "And you can still feel the bond. There is nothing wrong with you Leona, it's only a weakness if you think it is. If anything you should be happy that you're not tortured by the smell of blood and other unpleasant things, that's something I envy you for"

She closed her eyes to hide the venom building up in there. She needed this, she realised, she needed him to tell her that it was all okay and that it wasn't something bad like the Cullens had made it out to be. "Thanks, I needed to hear that"

Leona opened her eyes and returned the smile that he was sending her. Everything was going to be okay. 


	9. Chapter 9

vLeona stared at the stone ceiling for a few moments, rubbing a hand down her arm while biting her lower lip before letting out a small sigh. "What else can you tell me about being a vampire? I think the Cullens did the short version or at least some crash course version of it"

Caius frowned slightly at the name but then his face smoothed out into the blank look he usually had on his face. "You're a curious little thing, aren't you?"

She nodded sharply and leaned forwards. "Can you blame me? I need to relearn almost everything and learn new things in a short period of time. I can't walk around being the oblivious vampire who doesn't know anything"

He nudged her slightly with a small grin on his lips. "Of course not, oh wise one. What other knowledge of vampires do you need so you can quench that thirst of knowledge?"

"I don't know, you're the experienced one" Leona shrugged with an innocent look on her face. She didn't know what exactly she wanted to know, she just knew that she wanted to know it all.

"You've already gotten a crash course about it from that coven and the only part of it left to learn is the practical bits, you are a vampire Leona. No one can teach you all about it, it's something you learn more about with time and experience"

She sighed and played with one of the loose strings from her thick sweater. "I guess, I guess I just feel like I need to learn it all as soon as possible to make up for the time I've lost. Even if there is nothing more to learn, even if I know there's nothing more to learn I still feel the doubt creeping back, telling me that I'm missing something."

" It'll get better, don't worry so much. You've only been awake for two days, it's impossible for you to know it all and I would be worried if you weren't curious." Caius retorted with a lazy smirk. "I'm actually really surprised that you know the things you do, that you know what everything is. Like a car, book, walls etc. It comforts me to know that you've only lost the memory of your human life and things they taught you."

Leona hummed and curled a strand of hair around her finger. " It's not comforting to me. I mean I still don't know anything, there's this part of me that hides all of the knowledge and I can feel it screaming at me all the time. Screaming at me that it knows things that I can't remember. And for the record, I didn't know what a car was until the Cullens showed me theirs."

"Maybe you're not from this time period, you feel at home in the 'old-fashioned' interior of this place and you don't recognise newer technologies. Maybe you've been lying in that forest for a long long time, awaiting the day you would finally wake up" He speculated in a dramatic voice as if her life story was a story from one of his books. "I wouldn't worry too much, Alice doesn't remember her human life either."

This piqued her interest. Alice didn't remember her human life? Why didn't they tell her? They knew she was scared and confused and still didn't tell her that they had someone just like her living with them. She could only imagine the comfort it would give her to know that she wasn't alone, that she wasn't some anomaly, but they didn't. They let her vent about how scared she was, how confused she was feeling and her frustrations.

"They didn't tell me that" Leona murmured under her breath and averted her eyes towards her jeans. "Why wouldn't they tell me that? They knew how I was feeling and all they did was give me those looks that screamed pity!"

Caius stroke a hand down her cheek with a neutral look on his face but she could see the anger underneath it. The Cullens just seemed to keep making mistakes. "They've got a lot to answer for, believe me."

"I- I just can't believe that they would do that, they seemed like really nice people and all along they've kept this secret from me and made me feel like some.... like some freak" Leona spat out the word and shook her head angrily. "Can we move on please? I don't want to think about them right now"

"Of course" He soothed her with a gently voice. "What else does your pretty little head desire to know?"

"What did Marcus mean when he said that the Cullens had a responsibility and duty towards me?" She thought for a second before asking the question that had been eating her up. It would seem that the Cullens did something they weren't supposed to, or rather they didn't do what they were supposed to.

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about the Cullens" Caius asked with a small frown on his face, he seemed to be as done with the Cullens as she was at the moment.

"Just, please answer my question" Leona sighed, she just wanted her answers and then she was going to lay down, and pretend she's sleeping.

"The second the Cullens realised you are my mate they had a responsibility to take care of you and make sure that you're safe and secure. That duty also demands that they bring you to me, which they did. All vampires know their duties towards their kings and queens but the Cullens tend do try and bend the rules, thinking that the small fondness Aro has towards Carlisle will save them every time they do something"

"So by not feeding me they broke their duty, towards me?" Leona asked with her nose scrunched up, the Cullens hadn't mentioned anything about that. Carlisle did mention that he had to bring her to Caius but nothing about the rest of his duties, some of which he broke.

"Exactly, that and filling your head with all that nonsense they've been telling you since you came into their care. We're not evil, feeding on humans isn't evil and I nor any of the Volturi would ever hurt you." Caius swore with a deep scowl on his face but the promise in his eyes shone through it all. "It upsets me that they did that, they know how important mates are but they still thought they had the right to try and mess with mine"

Caius was starting to get upset, Leona realised as she observed his behavior, his hands were slightly shaking and his jaw was clenched. She placed her hand on his shoulder and brought him in for a hug. She didn't know if she was overstepping any invisible boundaries but if she did she was happy she broke them.

"Shh, it's okay." She whispered in his ear when she felt his entire body tense in anger. "I'm here now and everything is going to be fine. The Cullens will leave us alone and I can finally start my life, isn't that nice?"

She felt him placing his arms around her, hugging her just right as she whispered comforting words to make him let go of that anger. It would do neither of them any good if he decided to start a fight with the Cullens, that and she didn't like seeing him angry or upset.

"Yeah, that sounds good" He whispered back and tightened his arms around her, making a small content smile grow on her tired face.

"Let's take a nap"


	10. Chapter 10

A few days later it was time for the Cullens to leave, they had insisted on staying longer even though the agreement was only for the night. Their blatant disrespect and refusal to leave quite frankly pissed Caius off, who just wanted to spend some quality time with the vampire he was going to spend the rest of his eternity with, but with all the time the Cullens stole and the necessary bonding with the rest of the coven his alone time with Leona was short and left them both wanting more. His normal scowl had been deeper than normal and his irritated mood was worse than it had been for a very long time, he was done with having the Cullens there and he was more than ready to kick them out. Aro however didn't agree, he didn't want to show the Cullens the same disrespect they showed him but wanted to show them that the Volturi wasn't as bad as everyone was trying to portray them as. Someone needed to uphold the laws and those that ensured their continuous survival were rewarded with hate and a label stamped on their names screaming 'bad guy' and 'evil'.

Leona was currently sitting at a wooden table in the large kitchen the castle had deep in the underground parts. A newborn vampire by the name of Hulty sat in front of her, staring hard at her with her red eyes. The vampire in front of her had short brown hair a round face that had no imperfections (just like any other vampire), small lips but large eyes. Her eyes unnerved Leona, it was like they were staring right into her soul, discovering all of her secrets and feelings.

"Aro tells me you're one of the queens" Hulty broke the silence, her raspy voice echoing in the room as she spoke loud. "The new one"

"I guess I am" Leona answered with a blank face and tense jaw. "Does it matter?"

"If you think it doesn't then you're as blind as you are anosmic" The other vampire told her in a voice that dripped with enough venom to fill a lake. They had been sitting in a awkward silence until Hulty had decided to speak up, keeping in mind to try and be as kind as she could. Which for the record wasn't very kind.

Leona's eyes narrowed at the other vampires words before she slumped back against her chair. "I was only made queen a week ago, it doesn't matter" Leona retorted with a small pout on her lips. She still hadn't made up her mind if being queen was something she wanted to be. There hadn't been many queen-like activities for the time she had been there, she hadn't even met the other wives yet. Caius told her they lived in the tower along with a different vampire named Corin, and that soon enough he would take her to meet them but so far nothing.

"But you are a queen and the rest of us have rules to follow, so it does matter" Hulty responded, her voice losing the venom and turning blank. "I thought you and Caius had this big talk after you came here? At least that's what it sounded."

Leona straightened up in shock. "You eavesdropped on us?"

"Didn't need to, I was on guard duty." Hulty responded with a small smirk and a twirl of her hair around one of her fingers, her eyes gleaming with humor. "Besides, vampire hearing."

The new queen's mouth formed into an O before slumping back in her chair, a trait that she believed followed her from her human life since all the other vampires always had perfect postures. "I forgot about that."

"Clearly" Hulty drawled out. "You seem to be doing that a lot"

"Do what?" Leona asked with her head tilted to the side. Did she have any other weird traits she didn't know about.

"Forget about things" The dark haired vampire replied in a 'duh' tone. "What? Did you forget you're an amnesiac too?"

Leona chuckled lightly and gently shook her head. "The lack of memories keeps me from forgetting that. You know you're the first to talk to me"

"I told you, you're the queen." Hulty replied and pushed her hair behind her ears. "It's not as easy as you think, there's all these rules to follow. Plus almost everyone in this coven is scared of your mate"

The white-haired woman started laughing, a real laugh all the way from her stomach, it sounded more like a whale dying than it did a laugh. She laughed for while, at one point she laughed so much that she fell on the table. Leona finally calmed down enough that her whole body wasn't shaking with the heavy laughter, it felt ridiculous to her that anyone would be scared of Caius. He had only shown her his teddy bear side, the loving side. Well, except for that one incident with the Cullens but everyone would get angry if they found out someone had starved their mate.

"You too?" She asked Hulty through light giggles, her eyes shining with humour and happiness. This was the lightest she had felt since she woke up, just pure happiness with nothing weighing her down. "I can't believe someone would be scared of him, I mean just look at him and that cute scowl of his."

"Hello master" The other vampire greeted with her head bowed and tense shoulders. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Hulty knew he had overheard the words and wasn't very happy with her for not following the proper etiquette when talking to the queen.

"Hulty" Caius replied with his chin held high, not sparing the newer vampire a single glance as he walked to his mate. "Leona, I've been looking for you"

Leona smiled gently and hid her face behind a curtain of her hair. A week with Caius wasn't enough to get used to how out of the world handsome he was or how his compliments and voice never failed to make her heart race. "I've been down here, talking to your coven."

He hummed slightly, placing his hand on the back of her chair and with a wave of his hand dismissed the other vampire in the room. Hulty bowed at the waist and after a curt 'my king, my queen' she fluttered out of the room. "It makes me happy to see you making friends"

"I don't think they like me very much. I mean the first two refused to talk to me and Hulty was the first one to actually speak to me." She turned around to face him with a slight frown on her face, it bothered her more than she'd like to admit. "I think they're scared to talk to me because I'm a queen now."

"Being a queen comes pros and cons, they should always be respectful towards you or there will be consequences." He replied and tightened his hand slightly, enough that she could hear the wood protesting against the motion. "That however doesn't mean you can't be friends with them. You're a social person, Leona, you'll figure it out. "

"You know someday you have to actually tell me what being a queen means." She joked and slumped back in the chair, gently blowing some of her hair that had fallen on her forehead. "Are the Cullens leaving?"

Caius nodded before straightening his posture. He cleared his throat and presented his hand to her. "Yes, which is why I came to find you"

She grinned at that, as much as she enjoyed hanging out with both Alice and Jasper she wanted them to leave. She needed her alone time with Caius and they were taking that time away from her. She'd keep in contact with them, though, if only until they stop replying. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go" Leona giggled and took Caius' hand in hers, entwining their fingers, and then flashed away from the scene.

...

"Are you sure you're okay with us leaving?" Alice asked for the thousandth time, while fluttering about the small hallways they were standing in.

"Yes-Alice! I'm fine" Leona exclaimed when the vampire came up to her again and pushed Leona towards her in a hug. "I was fine with it half an hour ago and I'm fine with it now, there's really nothing to worry about. Everyone is nice and the castle is really nice"

"What about Caius?, hmm?" Jasper butted in with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk tugging at the side of his lips, gently curving them upwards. Leona had crowned him the king of smirks within 5 minutes of knowing him, not that he would ever find out.

"He's amazing" Leona shyly stated, his name had yet to stop turning her into a shy mess. "Maybe we'll be able to actually spend time together after you two leave" She continued and gave both of them a pointed glare and a point of her finger.

"Ouch, darlin', one would think you didn't like us" Jasper faked being hurt and put his hand above his heart with a slight stagger.

"You know that's not true" Leona smiled and brought the older vampire into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you so much, I'll come visit" She was going to miss him, they had really clicked and though she wanted them to leave she was sad to see him go.

"Hey! What about me?" Alice cried out when the two friends hugged without her. "I want to get a Leona hug too, aren't you going to miss me too?"

"Come here, Alice, of course I'm going to miss you too" Leona smiled and opened her arms to Alice who flew right into them with a happy squeal. 


	11. Chapter 11

Leona had no idea where she was. Not even an inkling. It had been a week or so since the Cullens had left and she had spent most of that time bonding further with her coven mates, learning more things about herself, and of course with Caius. Speaking of the vampire, he was the one who had brought her to this place in the middle of nowhere. She was standing in a meadow surrounded by thin trees that rocked gently with the wind. The sun shone down on her, lighting up her pale, white hair in a white halo around her face. 

"Why are we here again?" Leona asked, holding a hand up to keep her hair out of her face. Her eyes narrowed slightly when her mate walked back into view with someone else in his arms, the person looked like they were struggling against his hold but she couldn't be sure. 

"You're going to feed, dearest!" Caius yelled over to her, fully aware that her hearing wasn't as good as the normal vampire and wouldn't hear him unless he yelled. "Since you've shown no signs of hunger since waking up I've taken it upon myself to make sure you don't starve!"

The female vampire shifted on her feet, making the leaves underneath her feet break under the light pressure. "I'm fine, Caius. I'm not starving, honestly." She protested when he brought the struggling man he was forcing over to her. The captive man shifted, bucked and flapped around his limbs wildly as he tried to get out of the grip he found himself in, but the hands that held him didn't even budge under his wildest and strongest push. 

"We won't know that until you feed." Caius shot, staring down his nose at the man in his grip with a deep frown of distaste on his face. "Now come here, I'll show you how" His eyes beckoned her towards him and she hesitated before she slowly walked over to the struggling human and her immortal mate. 

Leona walked closer until she stood right in front of them. She could feel the heavy panting of the human in front of her, the warm air brought goosebumps on her skin and a small shiver rushed through her. The vampire's pupils dilated and she tensed slightly in response to his adrenalin fueled fighting. The sigh excited her, it appealed to all her ancient vampire instincts that she thought were buried underneath all her disabilities. Her hearing focused on the rushing of the blood in his veins, the erratic beat of his heart and the frightened look on the man's face. 

"Can you smell him?" Caius voice broke her trance and she snapped right out of the intense focusing she had on her soon-to-be victim. She looked up at his face and saw the intrigued and slightly hoping look in his eyes. Leona shook her head in response to his question, she still couldn't smell the human, or the blood inside of him, or her mate whose smell is supposed to be the best thing in the world. 

"No matter, you don't need to smell him to drink" He waved off her lack of smell and instead forced the human to turn his head to the side, showing his fragile neck and all the visible, pulsing veins. Her mate licked his lips at the sight and she saw him slightly lean in but stopped himself and snapped his dark eyes to her. "Come, Leona."

She stepped around the human and pushed herself between the struggling male and her mate's chest. She traced the thickest of the visible veins but still her eyes didn't darken and the burning in her throat didn't flare up. Nothing felt different except for how compelling she found the sight, but she held no desire to eat the man. 

"If you bite here you will get the most blood in the least amount of time" Caius instructed before grabbing her finger and guiding it to where he wanted her to make the initial bite. The vein there pulsed faster than the others and it was also the most bulging one. 

As if hypnotized she stared at the vein and then brought her hands to rest on either side of the ideal biting spot. She hissed through her teeth and then leaned down to where she was barely touching his neck with her nose. Leona sniffed but stiffened when she realised she still couldn't smell him. There was a small part of her that hoped that she would be able to smell him if she got close enough but that wasn't the case. 

"There you go" Caius cooed and stroked a hand down her head before resting it comfortingly on her hip. 

She nodded before opening her mouth and gently leaned down even more until her teeth gently scraped against his fragile skin. The vampire wanted to bite him, she wanted to tear into his neck, but at the same time she had no desire to feed off him. With a last quiet hiss she bit him, her teeth slicing through the skin as if it was butter. Immediately blood flowed through the wound and into her mouth. The metallic taste tasted like the sweetest of nectar and flowed smoothly down her throat. It briefly put out the fire in her throat before it ignited a burning like she had never felt before. The longer she held onto the male the more her throat burned, it came to the point where it felt like her entire insides were on fire and her head was going to burst. 

"It hurts!" She cried out after she pushed herself away from the man and into the strong arms of her vampire mate. Leona shook slightly from the pain that was still pulsing inside of her. "It hurts so much!" 

Caius threw away the man he was still gripping and pulled Leona hard into his chest, his inner vampire roared at the sight of his mate in pain. His hands frantically touched her face as he repeatedly asked her what was hurting but to no avail. Her wails of pain grew louder until they almost painfully pierced his ears, though he held on to her just as hard as he did before her cries turned into wails. 

It took about five minutes until the burning finally subsided and allowed her to breathe comfortably again. She gasped a few times before she found her voice again. "The burning in my throat. I thought you said it would feel good" Leona stared at him almost accusingly with one of her hands around her neck as if the motion soothed the pain inside of her. 

"It does. I've never seen or heard of something like this happening." Caius defended himself and reached for her again after she stepped away from him. His normally perfect hair was tousled and messy from Leona's hysteria. "Let me try something and if it hurts you in anyway you tell me and I'll stop" His words were honest and soft as he whispered them in her ear. 

She nodded mutedly and watched as he released his hold on her before walking over to the crawling human stiffly. Caius crouched down and in a blurred movement attached his teeth to the still bleeding wound. Leona stared at him as he gulped down the liquid that fed him. The sight mesmerized her and she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He took a few more gulps of the sweet liquid before he stood up and brushed off his pants. The human now laid limp on the ground, his heart had stopped pumping and his body was empty of blood. 

"What are you doing?" She asked when he walked towards her with his mouth closed and his cheeks puffed out. He shook his head in response and grabbed her by the shoulders. Caius leaned down and closed his eyes. "Hang on! You're not about to kiss me with all that in your mouth?"

His eyes snapped open and he stared right into hers widened ones. Caius shook his head and gently cupped her face before leaning in again. Leona stared at his mouth with conflicting emotions, on one hand she wanted to desperately kiss him, and on the other hand she didn't want any of that blood if it meant going through all that pain again. 

His other hand came up to her mouth and gently, with almost no force, opened her mouth before his mouth met hers. She was too distracted by the sensation of the smooth, warm blood flowing down her throat again, to actually enjoy what could be considered their first kiss. She tensed up as she waited for the excruciating pain to hit her again but when all of the blood had flowed from his mouth and into hers and no pain had come she relaxed. The fire in her throat dimmed after she had swallowed all of the blood and her eyes shut at the sensation. 

"Thank you" She whispered to him after she broke off the almost kiss that they shared. "No pain this time!" Leona added with excitement in her voice and a happy, relieved smile on her face. 

Caius grinned at her and brought her in for a warm hug. "See, there's nothing wrong with you. Don't you already feel better? Stronger?"

Leona thought for a while before she answered her mate. "I feel stronger, and healthier. It's like I've been sick or asleep for a long time but now I'm healthy and awake. The burn in my throat is almost gone!" The vampire said, her voice happy and lighter than it had ever been before. Her body felt stronger and more alert than before, and some of that tired and drowsy feeling that had been weighing down her shoulders had let up. 

"That gladdens me, my love." Caius responded and closed his eyes, his inner vampire purred, happy that he had made sure his mate was healthy and fed. 


End file.
